USED ACCESSIBLE VANS

OK, here's a deal for you: Although a late 1990s, poorly-kept minivan with 155,000 miles is practically worthless to most, you can get a fantastic price, just because you're special - $12,000. What, you say that $12,000 is absurd, that any minivan with 155,000 miles is a trap of a car, one that any auto expert will tell you is going to sit in your garage and leak black goo on the clean concrete, ultimately unreliable, likely requiring thousands of dollars toward a new transmission, pumps, gaskets, belts, and on, and on, and on. But, it has a ramp conversion, and the ramp conversion cost $15,000 new. Therefore, even though the van is more likely to be towed as often as driven, the accessibility is a bargain to people like you at $12,000.

This is the market fallacy often touted toward used accessible vans - that is, no matter if a van is rolling wreck, the simple fact that it has a ramp or lift makes it worth a fortune. However, this fallacy is just that, and consumers with disabilities must approach used vehicles with the same skeptical eye as mainstream used car shoppers, avoiding exploitation.

Let's consider why we need vans in the first place: A means of transportation to get us where we need to go. Part of this need for transportation is accessibility, the ability to transport our occupied wheelchairs, requiring a ramp or a lift conversion. However, the fundamental remains that we first and foremost need a sound vehicle, one that reliably, safely, economically gets us to our destinations and back. Take it one step further, and most would argue that if anyone needs utmost reliability in a vehicle, it's someone with a disability - we're less likely to jump out and work under the hood, and fathom having to deal with a tow-truck situation when you're a quad in a 300-pound powerchair. From this viewpoint, reliability in a vehicle is key, and without it, even the best accessibility system is worthless. Getting back, then, to the $12,000 van with 155,000 miles, how is the price justified, considering that it's all but mechanically worthless?

The answer is, in the used accessible van market, pricing isn't solely based on the true value of a vehicle; rather, the pricing of used accessible vehicles is often based in stereotyping, following the fallacy that we will pay absurd amounts for "special" features, especially since modifications are so expensive when purchased new.

In reality, no one needs an overpriced used vehicle, and, again, there's relatively no value to an eight- or ten-year-old high-mileage clunker for those with or without disability. Further, this assertion proves true, as overpriced used accessible vans for sale sit around on lots and driveways for months and years, all but impossible to sell because no one of sound mind will pay such extraordinary prices. The used accessible van market, then, isn't entirely based in economics, but veers into cultural stereotyping, working to ultimately defeat buyers and sellers alike.

Our goal as consumers is to overcome such market skews by using our heads and controlling our purchases. If you're shopping for a used van, look at the vehicle's worth in its own right, then consider the accessibility features, understanding that they, too, have depreciated in value. Further, take your time in shopping the market - watch the local classifieds, cruise web sites like AutoTrader.com, and browse Ebay.com. The fact is, it's ultimately a buyer's market, with more supply than demand, so don't feel pressured to rush into a purchase. And, above all else, don't accept over-inflated asking prices - use common sense, true used vehicle values, and the clout of your checkbook to haggle a fair deal.

As for the $12,000, 155,000-mile van, I'd gladly pay you not to park it on my pristine driveway.